Greta Gerwig has garnered some immense critical and commercial acclaim for quite some time now, even dating back to her days as an actress before she transitioned to directing movies and working behind the camera. She’s brought much of the same authorship that she had in her own characters to her directed films, establishing herself as one of the industry’s leading figures moving forward.
And that comes as a result of much more than just the success of Barbie in 2023. Greta Gerwig has been a reputable and lauded figure in the film for well over a decade now. Frances Ha and 20th Century Women were among the movies that established her as one of our greatest actresses living, but it was her personal touch to her characters and the scripts that she works with that makes her such an indelible force.
Barbie was the crossover smash hit that you could feel boiling after the critically acclaimed, slightly overperforming commercial success of Lady Bird and Little Women in 2017 and 2019, respectively. It’s been a steep trajectory upwards for her, and she has the ability to make just about whatever she’d like.
Which seems to be a multi-film project for Netflix using the Chronicles of Narnia IP. I’m inherently skeptical of this project, but like I outlined above, she’s earned my unwavering support as a viewer. I like all of her movies, and it inevitably boils down to personal taste and splitting hairs.
And while each of her movies feel personal for different reasons, I still think her best movies are ahead of her. Barbie capitalized on an immense budget and cast, and I’d like to see what else she can do with similar resources, while also being free of branding restraints and sensationalized product films. I hope she doesn’t get stuck making Barbie 2.
But that’s a conversation for another day. For right now, I think it’s time to list the Greta Gerwig movies ranked from worst to best:
3. Barbie (2023)
Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie (Amsterdam, Babylon, White Noise) deliver one of 2023’s most colorful and sincere trips to the movies. Barbie is a movie that transcends style and set design, offering a visual feast with enough laughs along the way. Barbie movie review
2. Little Women (2019)
1. Lady Bird (2017)
View a Letterboxd version of this list here
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